


Now And Forever

by smoakinggun04



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Angst, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-11-04 06:22:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10985181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoakinggun04/pseuds/smoakinggun04
Summary: Oliver Queen is a single dad who has a 5 year old son. He has been pretty content with how his life is going and how well he is raising his son without his son's mother. But what happens when Oliver decides to pick his son up from school instead of having his sister Thea do it and he meets Felicity Smoak?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! 
> 
> This is my first time ever writing fan fiction and while I've always been and always will be an Olicity fan, I decided that all these good story ideas in my head aren't going to write themselves!  
> Like I said before, I've never written fan fiction, but I hope I'm not bad at it and I really hope you enjoy the story! :)
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun

Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, was having an okay day. Things at the office could have gone better, but he wasn't complaining. If anything, he was grateful that his EA, Carrie, didn't screw things up when it came to taking down all his appointments for the week. He left the office a little earlier than usual so he could surprise his 5 year old son, Ayden James Queen, and pick him up from his sister Thea and take him for some ice cream. By the time that he looked at his watch, it was already 6:30 so he was sure that Thea had already fed Ayden dinner. 

Oliver was thankful for Thea, especially now since Ayden's mother wasn't in the picture. Thea and Oliver had set up a schedule when it came to Ayden. In the mornings, Oliver would wake Ayden up and make him breakfast and get him ready for school. He then would drop Ayden off with a promise that he would see him later on. While he was working as CEO, Thea would pick Ayden up from school and take him back to her place where he did some of his basic homework and she fed him dinner and they would usually watched movies until Oliver picked him up later that evening. 

Tonight was no different. As Oliver walked up to Thea's door, he instantly heard Ayden's laugh and a warm feeling in his chest fluttered. He would never get tired of hearing his son's laugh. Using his key to Thea's loft that she gave him, he opened the front door and the image he saw warmed his heart. Ayden had Thea wrapped up in blankets, lying down on the couch. Ayden recently discovered his love for mummies, so he had no doubt that Ayden wanted Thea to be a mummy.

"Daddy!" Aden seemed to notice Oliver standing there when he turned around to get another blanket to put on Thea. On his small little feet, he ran into Oliver's open arms.

"Hey buddy! You playing mummy with Auntie Thea again?" Oliver asked Ayden with an amused smile.

"Yeah. She's the best mummy!" Ayden said with excitement in his eyes.

"Hey! What about me? You said I was the best mummy." 

"Oh Ollie, let me have this one moment with my nephew." Thea said as she broke out of all the blankets that were piled on top of her. She walked over to Oliver and Ayden and gave her brother a hug and Ayden a kiss on the cheek.

Letting his son down, Oliver said, "Ayden go get your stuff so we can go and get ice cream before we go home." 

The look on his son's face when he said ice cream made the smile on his face get even bigger. He knew then that he made the right decision to cancel his last meeting in order to get Ayden sooner. After Ayden left the room, Thea turned to him with a guilty look on her face.

"What's wrong? Did Ayden do something bad?" Oliver asked her, already picking up on the fact that she was nervous to tell him something.

"No! Of course not. Ayden was a sweetheart, as always." Thea was fidgeting around with her fingers when she then took a deep breath and told Oliver what was bothering her. "I can't pick Ayden up from school tomorrow because I'm meeting with Laurel."

Oliver's smile slowly but surely disappeared from his face as he realized what Thea was telling him. He was confused as to why Thea would want to meet with Laurel and where all of this was coming from. He took a moment to filter his thoughts and to think about what he was going to say when Ayden came running back in the room.

"Daddy I'm ready to go!" Ayden said with a big, wide, toothy smile on his face. Oliver picked him up and said, "Okay buddy we'll go in a minute I just want to talk to auntie Thea for a second, okay?" With a nod, Ayden was right back on his feet and running to the couch where he waited for his dad to be done. 

Turning back to Thea, Oliver took a deep breath and said, "What do you mean you're meeting with her? Thea, where is this coming from?"

Thea looked at him, knowing how the pain of mentioning Laurel's name was eating at him, but continued to tell him. "She reached out to me today, told me you weren't taking her calls and that she really wanted to see you. I only agreed to meet with her, but I made sure to let her know that you weren't going to be there."

Oliver just sighed and looked at his baby sister. He knew that Thea wouldn't blind side him by just meeting up with Laurel without a reason. "Thea, you are your own person and if you want to meet with her then that is fine. I will never tell you who you can and cannot meet with. As far as Ayden goes, it's fine that you can't pick him up. You've already done so much for him and for me too. I'll take a short day tomorrow at the office and pick him up myself. Maybe you can take him to school instead! That gives me the opportunity to get in the office earlier so I don't fall behind work and that give Ayden the opportunity to still spend time with you. He loves spending time you."

"And I to him, but Ollie I want you to understand that this meeting with Laurel isn't a friendly meeting. I'm going to tell her to back off and stay out of all of our lives. God knows it's better this way than before."

Oliver was almost sunned by Thea's words. Thea and Laurel always got along and while they weren't the best of friends, they weren't enemies either. With that being said, Oliver pulled Thea in for a hug and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I love you Thea. Thank you." and with that he called Ayden and left Thea's house. 

 

After getting ice cream with Ayden and watching the latest Spiderman movie, it was time for Ayden to go to sleep. Oliver tucked him in and sat on the edge of the bed to tell him a story when Ayden asked a question that Oliver would never forget. "Daddy, does my mommy not love me?"

Oliver's heart broke when he looked into his son's big, blue, sad eyes. "Of course your mother loves you Ayden. Why would you ask that?" He wasn't understanding where this doubt came from. Even though his mother has been out of the picture since Ayden was 3, he always made sure that Ayden understood that he was loved by both parents and that his mommy just needed to go away so she could get better.

"Then why isn't she here?"

Aden kept breaking Oliver's heart when talking about his mother. "She just needed some time to figure things out. It had nothing to do with her love for you. I promise." Oliver told his son, wanting to reassure him that he was loved. Once he saw Ayden nod he then proceeded to tell him about the change of plans for tomorrow. "So buddy auntie Thea can't pick you up from school tomorrow, so she's going to take you to school and I'm going to pick you up. Does that sound like a plan?" He was hopeful that Ayden would be happy to spend time with his dad. He knew Ayden loved him, but sometimes he would have doubts since he was always working so late. He was hoping that Ayden wouldn't mind spending time with him instead of Thea. After Ayden's face and his mood lit up to the idea of being with his dad after school, Oliver relaxed. 

"Yes! I can't wait!" Ayden said with excitement. "I love you daddy. Goodnight." And with that Ayden drifted off to sleep. Oliver gave him a kiss on the forehead and closed the door to his room. 

At that moment he knew everything would be alright.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow your comments made me so happy so I decided that not only will you get this chapter today but you'll also get chapter 3 tonight as well! 2 chapters in one day! 
> 
> I'm currently writing chapter 3 so that will be up later on this evening.
> 
> I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this story so far and I hope this chapter makes you just as happy as the last! 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun

The next day was hectic to say the least. Thea got to Oliver’s house around 5 AM so she could wake Ayden up and so Oliver could get to work a little earlier than everyone else at the office. Ayden woke up on the wrong side of the bed and wouldn’t touch the breakfast Thea made for him. 

“Please just take at least 5 bites of food Ayden. I don’t want you getting sick while you’re playing at school.” Thea was desperate to get Ayden to eat. She wasn’t sure how Oliver did this every single morning. 

“I want my daddy!” 

“Ayden, your dad is going to pick you up from school and then you’ll spend all day with him. Didn’t he tell you last night?”

“Yes but what about my play date with Maybree today?”

Thea completely forgot that she had talked to Maybree’s, Ayden’s kindergarten crush, mother about them having a play date today. “Oh right! You are going to go to Maybree’s house and I will tell your daddy to pick you up from there a couple of hours after you get out of school, but only if you take 5 bites of your food. Deal?”

“Deal!”

 

It was around 11:30 when his EA, Carrie, knocked on his office door. “Mr. Queen?”

“Yes Carrie, come in.” Oliver knew his EA had a crush on him. He knew he was good looking with his piercing baby blue eyes and his jawline full of stubble. It didn’t help that in this particular moment he had the sleeves of his nice dress shirt folded up so his forearms were bare and his muscles were poking through the shirt as if it was about to rip at any moment. 

“Mr. Queen, your sister is here to see you.” And with that she left this office, but not before she could give him a head to toe look and bite her lip. He shuddered at the thought of him and Carrie. He knew he was attractive and he knew that she was a beautiful woman, it’s just that he wasn’t comfortable with bringing random women around his son. Sure, he went on dates with women but none of them seemed to be the right fit for him. They were either too clingy or they wanted to meet his son way too fast and none of them just seemed to be the one since he met her. He knew that if he ever wanted to settle down, now would be the time considering that he’s almost pushing 30 with a 5 year old son.

Thea walked in the office surprisingly calm. He wasn’t sure if she had met with Laurel yet, but he assumed she didn’t because she looked at peace. “Thea, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He said with a smirk on his face. Thea never randomly showed up at his office. He knew it had something to do with Ayden though because if it was anything else, she would’ve just called.

“I completely forgot that I set up a play date with Ayden and his school crush Maybree. Maybree’s mother, Evelynn, is going to pick them up after school and take them to her house for a couple of hours. I’ll give you her phone number just so you can tell her what time you’ll be getting Ayden.” 

“Thea take a breath. It’s okay that Ayden is going with Maybree. That’s actually perfect because I was going to be a little late picking him up anyway. My last meeting is running a little late. Have you met with Laurel yet?”

“No. I’m meeting with her at 12:30. That’s why I can’t pick Ayden up. He gets out of school at 12:45.”

“Okay great.”

“Ollie are you okay? You seem nervous. I hope it’s not because I’m meeting Laurel cause I told you that it isn’t a friendly meeting.”

“I’m just nervous to spend time with Ayden. I know I shouldn’t be because he’s my son and I know he loves me, but I can’t help to think that I’m going to screw things up because I haven’t spent a lot of time with him lately. Things at the office seem to just be getting out of order especially since we’re merging with Palmer Tech soon.”

“Ollie that little boy adores you. Every time I pick him up from school he always asks to visit you at the office. You’re his superhero! I’m sure when you get him from Maybree’s house that things will be fine and he’ll enjoy every moment with you because you are the one person that loves him the most in this world and he knows it.” She knew he was always a little insecure when it came to spending time with Ayden, but she wanted to reassure him that he’s doing the best that he can and that’s all that matters to Ayden. “Besides, you aren’t the one that decided to leave.”

“Thea, it wasn’t her fault. She wasn’t well.” He already knew where this conversation was going. He didn’t want to bring it up cause it always caused him pain.

“Oliver you need to stop making excuses for her! She is a grown woman who decided to leave her son! There’s no forgiving her.”

“That’s not your call to make! That isn’t up to you or me if she deserves to be forgiven! It’s up to Ayden and Ayden only!” He was getting frustrated at the fact that Thea thought he was protecting this woman. When Ayden’s mother decided to leave them, it broke his heart and she knows it. “Thea I have a meeting I need to get to. If you could please text me Maybree’s mother’s number, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure Ollie.” She felt bad that she pushed him to a point that he shut down, but these are things that she was sure he needed to hear. She texted him the number then left his office without looking back.

 

Ever since Thea left his office, he had been in a funk. He texted Evelynn asking what time he should pick Ayden up. She texted him back saying she wasn’t in town, but that her eldest daughter, Felicity, was watching them and that he could pick him up at anytime. So that’s what he was on his way to do. He pulled up to the house and instantly relaxed when he noticed that they were in a nice neighborhood. He walked up to the door and knocked and he wasn’t expecting this person to open the door. 

“Felicity?” He was completely mesmerized by her beauty. She stood barefoot and only came to his shoulder. She had blue eyes that reminded him of the ocean and full lips that looked so soft he instantly wanted to kiss her. She was a complete stranger, yet he had a feeling in his stomach that he didn’t want to go away anytime soon.

“You must be Oliver. Ayden’s dad? My mom texted me saying you be coming to get him soon, but wow I wasn’t expecting you to look like this.” With wide eyes, she realized how that must of sounded to him so she tried to fix it. “Not saying you look bad because lord knows you look anything but bad. You’re actually very handsome and it caught me off guard. Not that I was expecting you to look like a troll or anything it’s just that you’re really muscular and I’m rambling on so I’m going to stop… right… now.” She felt the blush come over her cheeks and start spreading down her neck. She looked up at him to find an amused grin on his face.

“Well thank you for one.” He said with a chuckle. “Are Ayden and Maybree still playing? Did I come too soon?” He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 1:30. He wanted to spend as much time with Ayden as he could, but he didn’t want to take time away from his play date.

“No! Actually I was just about to take them to the park if you want to join us. Unless you and Ayden have plans already?” She kind of wanted to spend time with him to see how he was as a dad. She didn’t know why but she felt some type of pull towards him. 

“Actually I was going to take him to the park so that works perfect. I hope he was no trouble to you.”

“No Ayden is a very sweet boy. He was actually a pleasure to watch over.” She smiled at the thought that when Maybree got hurt, Ayden was very gentle while still playing with her. “We should get going.”

 

The park was actually enjoyable compared to his day at the office. He found out a lot about Felicity. That she graduated from MIT at the top of her class at just 19 years old. That she was deathly afraid of kangaroos. “They’re terrifying creatures Oliver! It’s like they’re ready to pounce on you at any second!” She said with a shudder and he actually laughed. That she hated mysteries and that they bugged her. But he wanted to know more. No. He needed to know more about her. 

“Felicity, I hope this isn’t too forward, but I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me sometime?” He was hopeful she would say yes. He had a feeling that she felt the same way about him that he felt about her.

“As in like a date?” She felt her heart skip a beat. She didn’t know how, but she thought he was reading her mind because she felt like she needed to know more about him. 

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry Oliver, but I’m seeing someone. You may know him since you work at QC. His name is Ray Palmer! But I am really sorry. Hopefully I see you and Ayden around. He’s welcome here anytime.” And with that she and Maybree went into their house. She couldn’t look into his disappointed eyes any longer than she already had. She wouldn’t lie. She did feel some type pull to Oliver. She was attracted to Oliver, but she couldn’t hurt Ray. Ray was amazing but she didn’t get the feeling with him like she did with Oliver. With Oliver she felt alive. She didn’t know what it was but she had to shake it off. She couldn’t be with Oliver because she was with Ray. That’s just how it had to be.

 

Ever since he hung out with Felicity and the kids at the park, he thought he felt a connection between them. Apparently it was only one sided though. He hadn’t felt like this since Laurel and even then, he hadn’t felt like this. Of course Ray Palmer got to her first. He couldn’t help but envy the man. He knew Felicity was incredible and Ray Palmer got to experience it first hand. He sighed and looked at Ayden through the rearview mirror. “Hey buddy when we get inside it’s bath time then we can watch a movie. Okay?”

“Okay daddy. Daddy?”

“Yes Ayden?”

“I had fun today.”

Oliver felt joy in his heart hearing that his son had a good time. Even if he was with Maybree and Felicity majority of the day, he was glad that he got to be a part of it. “That’s good. I’m glad.”

 

He unlocked his front door and went straight to the bathroom to put Ayden in the bath. Once he was done he went to sit on the couch when there was a knock at his front door. He wasn’t suspecting anybody, so he thought it was Thea and he went to open the door. When he opened the door, he felt like he had seen a ghost. 

“Laurel.”

“Hey Ollie. Can I see my son now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! Ayden's mother has been revealed! And Felicity and Ray Palmer? And how did Thea and Laurel's conversation go? How did Laurel know where Oliver's house was? 
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter and chapter 3 will be posted later on tonight!
> 
> Can't wait to read all of your comments! 
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm wow that season 5 Arrow finale. Let's just say I still can't breathe when I think about it. This is going to be a longgg summer hiatus but hopefully this fic will ease the pain for you and me. :)
> 
> I've decided that I'm going to post every Wednesday just to fill the void of no more Arrow on Wednesdays so chapter 5 will be posted on this upcoming Wednesday. ;)
> 
> With that, I hope you enjoy ch. 3!
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun

“Laurel what are you doing here? How did you even know where I lived?” He couldn’t believe he was looking at the woman who left him with their child. His heart was aching but not for himself, but for the little 5 year old boy that was sitting in the bathtub playing with his toys.

“I felt like it was time that I came back into Ayden’s life. I mean I am his mother.” She rolled her eyes. She didn’t even look remorseful after all this time. She looked as if she could just walk in and out of Ayden’s life whenever she pleased. THAT is what was pissing Oliver off.

“Are you? Hmm cause the last I knew, mothers stayed in their child’s life. There was a reason why I wasn’t answering your calls Laurel. I don’t know how your lunch went with Thea, but I’m here to tell you to STAY THE HELL OUT OF OUR LIVES!” And with that he slammed his door in her face and took a deep breath. He didn’t move away from the door until he heard her say, “This isn’t over Ollie. You can’t keep my son away from me forever” and her footsteps going further and further away from the porch. 

He didn’t understand why she just showed up thinking she could see Ayden. Thinking that he would let her see Ayden. His mind kept replaying that night over and over again. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if Ayden had actually gotten hurt. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“I swear to god Laurel I meant what I -” His words died right on the tip of his tongue as soon as he opened the door and came face with Felicity. “Felicity? What are you doing here? How do you know where we live?” He was so confused as to how all these people knew where he lived. 

“Wow okay first who’s Laurel? Already moving on a couple hours of asking me out?” She was trying to joke her way out of an awkward situation. She actually wasn’t sure why she was standing outside his front door. She had made up a whole story on her way here of how they didn’t schedule another play date for Ayden and Maybree, but not that she was standing here, she realized how stupid that idea was. The truth is is that she just wanted to see him again. When she noticed that he didn’t have a smile on his face and his eyes looked far away, she knew that this was a bad idea. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have showed up here. I’m just going to go.”

That seemed to snap him out of his thoughts of Laurel showing up on his doorstep out of nowhere. “Wait! No! I’m sorry, come in. Make yourself at home I just have to get Ayden out of the bathtub.” He opened his door wider for her to step in. “I’ll be right back.”

She took the time to look around the front of the house. To her left was the kitchen with nice marble countertops and a stainless steel refrigerator and freezer. What really caught her eye was the picture on the fridge. It was a picture of Oliver and Ayden at what she presumed to believe was Ayden’s first day of kindergarten. Her heart warmed at the sight of the big smile on Ayden’s face when his dad was looking at him with a proud smile on his face. Clearly this picture was a candid and she couldn’t help but wonder who took the picture. She was sure he wasn’t seeing anyone because of what happened earlier in the day, but she couldn’t help but feel envy with whoever got to take the picture. She also noticed finger paintings on the fridge and a drawing of a house with a dog and Ayden and Oliver stick figures. She smiled to herself at how cute their bond was. 

“My sister Thea took that picture. That was a good day for Ayden. He was so excited to start school it was contagious. Up until that point it was just me and him and I thought I was going to be a mess when he had to leave for a couple of hours out of the day. But he was just so happy to make friends and play with people his own age. I’m assuming that’s how he got a crush on Maybree.” 

She didn’t even notice he was behind her. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to snoop.” She wasn’t sure why she got so nervous around him. “It’s a cute picture. Of you and Ayden.” She looked in his blue eyes and got lost in them. The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was the only one in the world meant for him. And she was convinced her eyes relayed the same message. 

“Felicity…” 

“I’m sorry. I should really go.” She knew if she didn’t leave right in this moment, that she was going to do something stupid and the little voice in her head kept telling her that she didn’t know who Laurel was or what his relationship with her was. She started to walk away when she felt his hand grab her wrist. She turned around and looked in his eyes and saw regret and guilt. “I’m sorry” he told her and then let her go. What did he have to be sorry for? She walked toward the front door and when she got there she turned around and said, “Me too, Oliver” and then she left. 

Needless to say, Oliver definitely couldn’t sleep that night. He thought it was because of Laurel’s random pop up, but he was 100% sure it was because of Felicity. In all reality, he didn’t want her to leave. He wanted her to stay in his home with him and Ayden and in his life because when he was looking into her eyes when they were in the kitchen, he felt whole. For once, he felt like he had found the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. To watch Ayden get older and experience more things in life with. To marry and settle down and maybe have another baby with. He wanted all of that with her and he was so confused as to how he knew all of that by just simply meeting her a couple of hours earlier that day.

He knew sleep wasn’t going to come easy but he had to force himself into it because of the big meeting he had with Ray Palmer tomorrow. Great. He has to meet with the man who is dating the woman he realized he wanted in his life in a non-platonic way. He also knew he had to talk to Thea about Laurel. He was planning on doing that when he picked up Ayden from her house after work. He prayed that it wasn’t going to lead into an argument because he didn’t want Ayden hearing them argue, but he knew that this was a sensitive subject and he also knew how Thea knew how to press his buttons. He rolled over to his side and closed his eyes and tried to let the darkness lull him into sleep. 

 

To say that the day was going terrible would be an understatement. Ayden had felt sick in the morning and couldn’t go to school, so Oliver had to call Thea to come watch him while he was at work. She agreed but not without having an attitude towards him for a reason he had no idea about. He didn’t even have time to dwell on it because by the time he was about to enter the meeting with Palmer, his coffee spilled all over his dress shirt and laptop. “Fuck!” He didn’t know what to do. It was already too late to cancel the meeting with Palmer and he didn’t have a backup of the powerpoint he made for the meeting, let alone a backup shirt. 

“Mr. Queen, Mr. Palmer is here to see you with a guest” his EA told him. 

“Send them in Carrie.” He had no clue who this guest could be, but he was delighted in the fact that they, too, would now see what a mess his life was. 

“Mr. Queen! Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I would like to introduce you to Felicity Smoak, as she would take the position of head of our Applied Sciences Division at Palmer Tech.” Ray was tall with jet black hair. He looked like a prince out of a Disney movie. He was a genius and it was no wonder why he was dating Felicity. Felicity. She looked beautiful as ever. She was wearing a dark green dress that hugged her curves just perfectly. The dress had a cutout on the middle of her back and he could see that that was where Palmer’s hand was. He had to hold back the urge to growl at him. 

“Ah yes Felicity. We actually know each other already. Her sister had a play date with my son yesterday afternoon.”

“Oh yes! I remember her telling me something along those lines! My apologies.” 

“You don’t need to worry about it Ray. Oliver and I are…” She wasn’t sure if she could say they were friends. She didn’t know much about him except for the fact that he loved his son with all of his heart. She looked at him for help when she noticed she went silent.

“Now business partners. It’s good to see you again Felicity” Oliver said with a sad smile. She knew why he was sad. She knew he wasn’t prepared to see her again so soon after last night and let alone with her boyfriend, Ray Palmer. When Ray offered her the job of being the head of the Applied Sciences after telling her that that department was merging with Queen Consolidated, she really couldn’t turn down the offer. Not if it was going to allow her to spend more time with Oliver. That wasn’t the only reason she took the job, but just a particular bonus that ultimately made her take the deal. 

“Well! Shall we get this meeting going? We have a lot to discuss about our future business ideas.” Ray was too giddy for this meeting and it was starting to make Oliver even more anxious because he knew that he wasn’t prepared. 

“Actually, I spilled coffee on my laptop by mistake and now I don’t have the powerpoint anymore.” He hated how he sounded completely unprofessional and he knew he should have rescheduled. 

“Oh! That’s fine. I can fix it. Give me 15 minutes and we’ll be ready to go” Felicity chimed in. She had been quiet because she didn’t know what to say. When she looked at Oliver, she saw how stressed out he looked and she knew that she didn’t want to make it worse.

“I can’t ask you to do that Felicity.”

“Well it’s a good thing that you aren’t asking,” she said raising an eyebrow begging for him to challenge her on this. 

“It’s best if you just let her do what she wants and don’t argue with her on it.” Ray had a smirk on his face when he talked about Felicity as if that statement had a double meaning. Glaring at Palmer, Oliver just nodded his head in agreement. 

The meeting had just finished, thanks to Felicity saving his ass. 

“I look forward to doing business with you, Mr. Queen. Felicity, I’ll be downstairs pulling the car around. You should set up another meeting for you and Mr. Queen to go over the plans for the new project ideas you’ve had.” And with that, Ray walked to the elevator and got right in without another word. 

Looking at Felicity, there were so many things he wanted to say but he just went with the simple, “Thank you Felicity.” 

“For what? It’s not like I did anything. Ray spoke majority of the time. When he is really passionate about something he fights for it until there is nothing more that can be done.” That was one quality Felicity liked about Ray. He was passionate about everything he put his mind to. It was an admirable trait to have. 

“I meant for saving me today with the laptop. Please let me take you to lunch to repay you.” He was hoping that she wouldn’t fight him on this. 

“Oliver, I really don’t think that’s necessary. It wasn’t a big deal I swear.”

“It was to me. Please Felicity. There’s no harm in two friends going to lunch.”

She thought about it for a minute. She was sure that Ray wouldn’t mind as he has went to lunch before with many of his girl friends. She didn’t see the harm in that so he shouldn’t see the harm in her going to lunch with Oliver. Like he said they were just friends going to lunch. “Okay. I’ll leave my number with your EA and you can text me when and where and I’ll be there.” She looked up at him to see a beautiful smile on his face that made her heart skip a beat. She realized then that she wanted to see smile like that more. And she wanted to be the reason that he was smiling like that. Oh god this was a bad idea.

 

  
After his meeting with Felicity and Palmer, Oliver canceled the rest of his meetings and went to go pick Ayden up from Thea’s house. What he saw when he walked through the front door made his blood boil. 

“Thea what is SHE doing here? And why is she with Ayden?!” He was beyond furious. He couldn’t believe that Thea had Laurel around his son without asking for permission. Sure, Laurel may be his mother, but she hasn’t been a mother to Ayden since that night and who knows before then. 

“Ollie, she’s Ayden’s mother. She deserves to spend time with her son JUST as much as you do. And I texted you that Ayden asked to stay the night so we already went to your house and picked up his clothes for tomorrow. So if you want to go be the big bad mean guy and ruin Ayden’s happiness then by all means, go right ahead.” He could tell that Thea was angry with him by the way she looked at him with disgust. What he couldn’t understand was why. What did he do besides be in his son’s life that could possibly have her upset with him and not Laurel? 

He knew he wasn’t going to get any answers while Ayden was in the living room with Laurel watching them like a hawk. So he just walked over to Ayden, gave him a kiss on the forehead, told him that he loved him and to be good for auntie Thea, and that he’ll pick him up from school tomorrow and they’ll spend the whole day together. Ayden beamed up at him at the thought of spending the whole day with his dad. 

Oliver didn’t even look at Laurel as he left Thea’s house. Thea followed him out to his car before she told him, “Laurel told me all about that night Ollie. How dare you? No wonder Laurel stayed away for all those years. The reason Ayden hasn’t had a mother in his life is because of YOU! You disgust me.” And with that, she ran back in the house. 

He stood there for a moment, letting the words sink in and once they finally did, he felt like he had been stabbed in the heart 20 times. He knew Laurel would lie to Thea about that night. What he hadn’t thought was that his baby sister, the one who saw him trying his hardest to raise his son by himself, would be so gullible to believe Laurel. 

What he really wanted to do was to go back into Thea’s house, grab Ayden and go home. But he knew that if he did that, Ayden would have questions and ultimately be mad at him. 

So he just drove home by himself.

Terrible was definitely an understatement for describing this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo that was chapter 3! What happened that night? And seriously how did the conversation between Laurel and Thea go? Also, I put a little Olicity in there but it's definitely gonna take a couple more chapters for them to be together. :)
> 
> Chapter 4 will be posted tomorrow night and after that there will be a chapter posted every Wednesday unless I say otherwise. 
> 
> I can't wait to read your comments on this chapter! 
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 4!
> 
> Also, I made a tumblr (smoakinggun) if any of you want to follow me on there and ask questions about the story or even anything in general. :)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun

He could barely sleep that night. He woke up and dreaded the day. He knew he had meetings on top of meetings, but all he could think about was what Thea said to him last night. Thea had an idea of what happened that night with Laurel, but he never went into detail of it because of Ayden. He knew he had to make it right with Thea before he could work on being the CEO of QC. 

He looked at his watch and knew Ayden would be at school already and he wasn’t sure if Thea would be with Laurel or not, but he decided to call off of work anyway. He knew he had to talk to Thea about that night and tell her exactly what happened. Before he just showed up at her house, he texted her just to make sure Laurel wasn’t with her.

OQ: We need to talk. Without Laurel. I’m on my way over right now. Be there in 10 minutes. 

TQ: Laurel isn’t here, but we’re not talking at my house. Meet me by the park by Ayden’s school. 

He wasn’t sure why she wanted to meet him at the park and not her house, but he didn’t think too much into it. He was still pissed that Thea had Laurel around Ayden without his permission. He knew he was going to have to say something about that before he told her about that night. 

He pulled up to the park and saw her sitting on a bench with two coffees in her hand. “Hey Speedy.” He sat next to her and took his coffee from her. 

“What do we need to talk about Ollie? I said everything I needed to say last night.” Clearly she was still bothered with him and that just pissed him off because after everything that they’ve been through, she was supposed to be on his side always.

“Thea, you don’t even know what happened that night. Whatever Laurel told you was a lie. I thought you would be able to tell, but I guess not. But before we even get into that, you had NO right to bring Laurel around MY child without my permission. She may be Ayden’s mother biologically, but that is MY son.” 

“Yeah whatever Ollie. Just explain your side so I can pick up Ayden in a couple of minutes.” She didn’t want to actually hear what he had to say. She was just here out of pity.

“That night Ayden could have almost died.” He hated thinking about that night. Every time he thought about it, he felt a lot of hate towards Laurel and a lot of grief for not being there for Ayden. After hearing that Ayden could’ve died, Thea suddenly went stiff.   
“What do you mean Ayden could’ve died?” 

Oliver smirked at her. “Yeah bet you Laurel didn’t tell you that. Ayden was in the kitchen when it happened. He was 3 as you know so he was running around at the time. I guess Laurel was planning on cooking something cause there was a pot on the stove. It was empty thank god, but Ayden still pulled it down on top of him just as I was walking in the door from work. Laurel was nowhere to be found and luckily Ayden was fine. I put Ayden in his playroom. When I went to go find Laurel, I stumbled across a couple of wine bottles and discarded clothes on the floor. As soon as I walked in the room, I found her in bed with Tommy. She didn’t look at all remorseful and she was still wearing my engagement ring while she was with Tommy. We got into an argument and I told her either she left or I did and I was taking Ayden with me. She said she wasn’t going anywhere, so I packed a suitcase for me and Ayden and we left that night.”

“Ollie why didn’t you tell me any of this? If I would’ve known I would have NEVER brought Laurel around Ayden.” Thea looked guilty, but she also looked angry. 

“We tried again. Me and Laurel. After Ayden’s 4th birthday. I started seeing her again. It seemed that she cleaned up her act and that she was getting better. But then I went to her house one night while you had Ayden and she was piss drunk. She couldn’t even form sentences. At that point, I knew it was over and I knew I didn’t want her anywhere near my son.”

“Oliver, I’m so sorry. What Laurel told me was completely off and I guess I just believed it because of your playboy past. She told me that you cheated on her and you brought several women around Ayden. The only reason why she let you keep Ayden was because you promised her that she could see him whenever she wanted. Then she told me that you just stopped answering her calls and when she showed up to your house, you moved away without a single note. I shouldn’t have believed her. God I feel so stupid.” She placed her face in her hands. 

He didn’t say anything because he was sure his mouth would betray him. She was stupid for believing Laurel. Sure, he didn’t tell her what actually happened, but she was supposed to talk to him before she did anything drastic. Especially when it concerned his son. “I’m sorry for not telling you about that night. I just didn’t think it would matter,” he shrugged. 

“I’m so sorry Ollie. I truly am. I don’t think I should pick Ayden up for the next couple of weeks. Just so Laurel gets the hint and goes away.” 

“I’ll deal with Laurel. I don’t want you out of Ayden’s life because of this. He loves you too much to not notice. But I will be picking him up from school today and tomorrow.”

“Okay. Deal and I really am sorry Ollie.”

“I know Speedy.”

 

******************************************************************

Once he picked up Ayden from school, he took him to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch. 

“So what did you do at school today?”

“I played with Maybree and I played with Colton and David!” Ayden was excited to spend time with his dad. When he saw Oliver instead of Thea, he ran straight into his arms. He didn’t even ask where Thea was. 

“That sounds like fun. Hey, so do you know what you want to do for your birthday?” Ayden was turning 6 in two weeks and just the thought of him being another year older filled Oliver with joy, but a little bit of sadness. Even though Ayden was healthy and getting older, he was still going to miss the times when Ayden was his right hand man and following him everywhere. 

“I want to have a party at Auntie Thea’s house!” 

He chuckled and told him, “We can make that happen. I’m sure your Aunt Thea would love to plan your birthday party at her house.”

“Yes! I can’t wait to tell my friends at school!” 

 

******************************************************************

After they had lunch, Oliver took Ayden to the office with him. His EA, Carrie, called to tell him that there were papers that needed his signature by the end of today for the merge with Palmer Tech. Once he got to his office, he let Ayden play by the couches, while he went through the paperwork. His EA knocked on the door and said, “Mr. Queen, a Felicity Smoak is here to see you. Should I let her in?” 

He wasn’t expecting to see Felicity today let alone at his office. “Yes send her in Carrie.” He wondered why she was here, but as soon as he saw her, all wonder went out of the door and was replaced with concern. “Felicity? What’s wrong?”

Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun. She was wearing a loose shirt and sweatpants. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days and her eyes were bloodshot red as if she had been crying all night. Even with her looking like this, he still thought she was the most beautiful person in the world. 

“Oliver!” She ran into his arms and started to bawl her eyes out. He wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but he would be there for her no matter what. 

“Hey. Felicity it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.” He hugged her and was running his fingers up and down her spine in a soothing rhythm. He looked around and found Ayden’s eyes on them. “Hey Ayden, why don’t you go tell Ms. Carrie that I said you guys could go get some cookies from the break room, okay?” He was sure whatever was going on with Felicity, Ayden didn’t need to hear it. 

“Okay daddy. I hope you feel better Ms. Felicity. My daddy is the best when he takes care of me when I feel sad.” And with that he left the office with his hand in Carrie’s.

Felicity looked up from his chest and his heart broke at the emotions he saw in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your day with Ayden. I know he loves to spend time with you. He told me when he was at our house playing with Maybree. Well really he told Maybree, but I was listening too.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Felicity, what happened?”

“Ray cheated on me. I went home last night after doing some work at the office and I found him in bed with some woman! I was with Ray for 3 years!” The more she started to talk, the more tears started to well in her eyes. What she whispered next surprised him. “I thought he was going to propose soon.” Her eyes fell to the ground as if she were trying to hide from Oliver. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I came to you about this. I just needed a friend.”

Once he knew what was going on, he wanted to kill Ray Palmer. He couldn’t even be happy at the fact that she was now single because she looked so broken standing in front of him. 

“Felicity, I’m so sorry about Ray. But I hope you know that none of this isn’t your fault. It’s his loss.”

“Of course it’s my fault Oliver! I was so focused on my career and my little sister that I didn’t even realize my relationship was going to shit. I thought Ray was the one. He made all these promises and now I feel like a complete idiot.”

“Hey! You are not an idiot and this is not your fault.” He cupped her face and made her look in his eyes so she knew that he was being genuine when he said what he had to say next. “Felicity, you are a beautiful, selfless, confident, and determined woman and any man would be lucky to have you by his side. Including me.” 

She looked in his eyes and saw nothing but honesty. She didn’t know how long she had been staring into his eyes when she cleared her throat and took a step back out of his hands. “Thank you Oliver. Seriously. Maybe we can go get that ‘thank you’ lunch that you owe me tomorrow? And then, I can repay you with a ‘thank you for your kind words today’ dinner sometime?” She saw the hope in his eyes when she mentioned dinner. She didn’t know why but the mention of dinner just seemed so intimate. 

“I would love to Felicity. Maybe you can bring Maybree to lunch tomorrow? I’m only asking because I’m going to have Ayden with me all day tomorrow and maybe we could turn it into a play date between them two.” 

She smiled a sweet smile at him and he could’ve sworn his heart stopped. “I’m sure Maybree and Ayden would both like that very much. You have my number so just text me when and where for tomorrow. Bye Oliver and once again, thank you. I knew coming here would make me feel better.”

“You never have to thank me Felicity. I meant every word.”

“I know you did. Tell Ayden I said bye. See you tomorrow!” Before she left, she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and a bright smile. 

 

It’s safe to say that he didn’t get anymore work done for the rest of the day. Once Ayden got back to his office, they left and went back home and spent time together just watching movies and playing with Ayden’s toys. 

His days were starting to get a little brighter each day and he can only think of one person that could be the cause of this. 

Felicity Smoak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter than usual because I've been so busy lately. But chapter 5 will be posted on Wednesday and that will be the start of 1 chapter per week until this story is over!
> 
> Spoiler: Chapter 6 will be Ayden's birthday party and a lot of stuff is going to go down at his party! ;)
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter and I can't wait to read your comments!
> 
> Also, don't forget to follow my tumblr (smoakinggun) for updates on the story and to ask questions!
> 
> xx, Smoaking Gun


	5. ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey guys I just wanted to post something just so y'all know I am continuing this story. I've recently moved to Chicago from LA only to move back to LA just a week ago. My life is pretty hectic right now so my focus really isn't on this story. I won't lie to you and say that chapter 5 is coming soon because I honestly don't know when I'm going to have time to write it. Even though I have everything planned in my head, I just go with the flow of writing. I don't stick to a schedule and I'm sorry if that's annoying, but I will promise that when chapter 5 is posted you WILL love it. 

Also, I don't know what a beta is nor do I have one, but I would love to have one so if anyone is interested in that let me know!

You guys can also follow my tumblr (smoakinggun@tumblr.com) and ask me a bunch of questions and promote the story if you please!

Again, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but hopefully within the next 2 weeks chapter 5 will be posted then it's smooth sailing from there!

xx, Smoaking Gun


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS!!
> 
> I'm officially back!! I just want to say thank you for your patience! I've finally gotten over my writer's block and I literally re-wrote this chapter 5 times and I feel confident enough with this version to post it so I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it!
> 
> The fluffiness has begun, but the angst is coming!
> 
> Also, follow my tumblr if you would like! 
> 
> Once again, thank you for being patient! It really means a lot!
> 
> xoxo, Smoaking Gun
> 
> tumblr: smoakinggun.tumblr.com

To say she was nervous about going to lunch with Oliver was an understatement. Her room looked like a tornado ran through it. Twice. She had no idea what to wear and how to do her hair or makeup. After looking through her closet and her mother’s closet, she decided on a strapless summer dress that was mainly blue with a thick white line towards the bottom of the dress and had a sweetheart neckline and stopped a little above the knee. She and Oliver already had such a noticeable height difference even with her wearing heels, but she didn’t want to feel even smaller next to him without her wearing the shoes so she decided to throw on some summer wedges in which the straps went all the way up to the middle of her calf. She decided to go for a natural look with her makeup and just keep it light and fresh with some chapstick. She didn’t feel like straightening her curls so she just left them cascading down her back. 

By the time she was finished, it was around the time to go meet Oliver. When he texted her where he wanted to meet for lunch, he also said he would bring Maybree and Ayden. She took one last look in the mirror and grabbed her car keys and headed to the door. As soon as she opened the door, she was faced with someone she never wanted to see again. 

“What are you doing here Ray?”

“Felicity…”

“Ray! What are you doing here?!” She didn’t have the patience to deal with Ray. Especially since she didn’t want to keep Oliver waiting. 

“Felicity I came to talk to you. I don’t want to be without you. We’ve been together for so long and I can’t lose you. I love you Felicity Smoak. I miss you like crazy.”

She was furious. How dare he lie straight to her face like this! If looks could kill, he’d be dead 3 times over. 

“Ray, excuse me if I don’t believe a word you say. You and I are NEVER getting back together. Get it through your head! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.” She turned around and locked the front door and left to go meet Oliver and the kids.

“This isn’t over Felicity!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had been sitting at the table with the kids for less than 10 minutes when he saw her. She looked like a breath of fresh air and she looked so adorable trying to find them. Once their eyes locked, he smiled and waved at her and he was rewarded with the brightest smile from her. 

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” She winked at him and looked at the kids. “Hey guys! Did you have fun at school?”

“Yes Licity! It was so fun! Ayden invited me to his birthday party this weekend! Can I go please please pleaseeee?” Maybree was trying to give her the best puppy dog eyes and in that moment, Oliver was super thankful that he had a son because he was sure that if his daughter ever looked at him like that, she would get everything she could ever possibly want. Not that Ayden was any better. Between him and Thea, Ayden was spoiled rotten. 

“We will see Maybree. You have to ask mom, but I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

Oliver leaned close to Felicity’s ear and whispered, “I hope she does. That invitation is also extended to you.” And then it was his turn to wink when he saw Felicity’s cheeks turn a beautiful shade of blush. 

They sat down at the table and then proceeded to look at the menu when their server came up.

“Hi my name is Isabel and I’ll be your waitress for today. Are you guys ready to order or do you just want to start off with drinks?”

“Daddy I want chicken tenders!”

“Me too Licity!”

“Felicity do you know what you want?” 

She was chewing on her bottom lip trying to decide what she wanted. When she looked up from the menu, Oliver was staring at her with amusement shining through his eyes. 

“Uh yeah I’m ready sorry. Okay I’ll have the chicken pesto panini with cheese and roasted tomato and a lemonade for me and then a kid’s chicken tender for her and a water.”

“And I’ll have the Chinese chicken salad with the dressing on the side and extra chicken please. And a kid’s chicken tender for him with 2 waters. Thank you.”

After the waitress left with their orders and menus, Maybree and Ayden went back to playing with their kid’s menus. Oliver was just watching Felicity when she looked up at him. 

With a panicked look on her face, she said, “What? Is there something on my face?”

He chuckled and shook his head no but continued to stare at her intensely. 

If this were anybody else she would’ve been uncomfortable but this wasn’t anybody else. This was Oliver. From the moment she met him, she just felt this calm feeling and she felt like she was in this safe haven with him. She didn’t understand how she felt such a strong pull to him, but every time she looked in those baby blue eyes, she could see everything she’s ever wanted. Everything she thought she wanted with Ray, but now instead with Oliver. She sees them with Oliver and she thinks to herself how could she possibly see these things with Ray. She will forever be thankful that her mother made her watch Maybree and Ayden the day of their first playdate. If it weren’t for her mother, she would’ve never met this amazing man. 

“Remind me to thank your mother and Thea as well for arranging that playdate.” 

Oh frack! She said that outloud, but judging from the smirk on his face, he looks amused with a hint of something else. 

Isabel comes back with their food and Felicity notices how Isabel finds any way to touch Oliver. A surge of jealousy runs through her body, but she doesn’t want to seem crazy because she has no claim over Oliver at the end of the day, so she controls the jealousy and looks up at Isabel and says a polite ‘thank you’ as if dismissing her. She looks back at Oliver to find him already looking at her with a smug smile on his face. 

Oh this man is going to be the death of her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After they finish their food and they’re having a nice flowing conversation and making eachother laugh, Isabel comes back with the bill. 

“Okay so here’s the bill.” Isabel then looks at Oliver and says, “I wrote my number down on your copy of the receipt. You should call me and we could have a whole lot of fun.” She winks at him and then looks at Felicity with a look of disgust and walks away from them. 

“Felicity…”

She looks at him trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. She should’ve expected this. He’s Oliver Queen. CEO, ex-playboy, the most eligible bachelor in Starling City. Of course he would have women throwing themselves at him. She was stupid to think that he would really be interested her when he could have anybody in Star City. 

“You’re right.”

Her heart literally sunk. She realized that she said that last sentence out loud and she never expected that to be his reaction. 

“I could have anybody I want and I want you Felicity. I’ve wanted you since I first met you. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before and I don’t want that to go away anytime soon. Please believe me Felicity. You are the one I want.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to get her emotions in check. When she opened her eyes and looked at Oliver, all she saw in his eyes was concern and fear. Fear of what was all she could wonder. “Okay Oliver I believe you.” 

He let out a breath of relief and looked at her with a genuine smile. She smiled back at him. 

He paid for the bill and grabbed Ayden’s hand with his right hand and Felicity’s with his left. They walked by Isabel when he turned around and said, “Oh Isabel, thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to pass. You see, I just have somebody better.” He shrugged and continued on walking with Felicity and the kids. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once they got to each other’s cars and strapped the kids in, they turned to each other. 

“I really appreciate what you said to Isabel back there. You didn’t have to say anything to her, but you did so thank you.” She looked up and blue met blue and everything fell into place. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned forward 3/4ths of the way, giving her the option to back away if she wanted to. She tilted her head up and their lips connected. He licked her bottom lip, just to taste her. She opened up to him and he deepened the kiss pouring everything he wanted to say in it but it was too soon to say. Their tongues stroked against each others in a way that made it seem like they’ve been together for years and in a way that doesn’t scream first kiss. 

Oliver reluctantly pulled away, pressing a peck or two to her lips before he actually pulled away.

“You don’t ever have to thank me.” He told her in his most sincere voice. 

She nodded her head and pressed one more kiss to his lips. 

“I’ll see you soon?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll text you all the details about Ayden’s birthday party.”

“Okay. Bye Oliver.”

“Bye Felicity.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The pictures were taken. The notes were written. Everything was set in motion. Oliver and Felicity had no idea what was coming their way. But they deserved this. No one messed with them and thought they were going to get away with it. Not even Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak.

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first chapter of what I hope to be a long story! I hope you guys enjoyed it and there honestly might be another chapter up tomorrow night just cause I want to get the background of the story out of the way then I'll have weekly updates.
> 
> All of your questions about Laurel will be answered within the first 5 chapters and don't worry Felicity is coming in the next chapter! :) 
> 
> Until next time,  
> Smoaking Gun


End file.
